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Jessops, the camera store, was today expected to collapse into administration, putting more than 2000 jobs at risk and becoming the first High Street casualty of 2013.

The retailer, which was started in 1935 and has 193 stores around the UK, was expected to call in administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Jessops managed to avoid administration in 2009 after securing a debt-for-equity swap with its lender, HSBC, after a litany of profit warnings, but has struggled in the face of strong competition from online rivals as well as the impact of potential customers switching to using cameraphones instead of cameras.

Jessops posted a £5.2 million loss for the year to January 2012, and last year also lost chief executive Trevor Moore, who quit to head music chain HMV, and chairman David Adams.

In 2010, Moore had said: “I don’t think it gets much more secure than being 47% owned by HSBC. They are committed to a long-term plan for Jessops — it is not about a quick turnaround or spin-out.”